Bridge crews to return to work / State orders restrictions on retrofit project after death of painter

Marshall Wilson, Chronicle Staff Writer

Published
4:00 am PST, Wednesday, January 23, 2002

Construction crews on the Bay Bridge, idled since the death of a painter Jan. 4, could return to work as early as tomorrow night, state officials said yesterday after approving a new safety oversight plan.

Work on a $170 million project to strengthen the bridge against earthquakes was halted after Darryl Clemons was killed. The 33-year-old painter died when a scaffolding buckled, the second death within four months on the construction project.

Yesterday, officials from the state Department of Transportation said work could continue, but with several conditions. For now, only about 30 percent of the workforce of roughly 200 will be on the job, where a team of safety inspectors will monitor their activities and report violations.

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As part of the plan approved by the state, Caltrans has barred contractor California Engineering Contractors/Modern Continental Joint Venture from moving scaffolds, Caltrans spokesman Jeff Weiss said. The state also required an independent audit of safety practices.

"We certainly want to get the job done on time and on schedule, but if (new safety rules) delay the project, we're going to have to live with that," Weiss said.

Work is about halfway complete on the retrofitting project, which began in late 1999 and is scheduled to be done by the end of next year.

Weiss said workers could return to the job as early as tomorrow night but possibly not until Monday. Work generally takes place overnight and stretches into early afternoon.

The death came less than a year after Clemons' 58-year-old father, James, a painter for the same company, fell 80 feet from a work platform on the span and was seriously hurt. He fell because he had not buckled his safety strap.

In September, a 47-year-old motorist, Anthony Menolascino of San Jose, was killed when a piece of scaffolding erected by Robison-Prezioso fell from the side of the bridge and crushed his pickup truck.

Officials from the state Occupational and Health Administration are continuing their investigation into Clemons' death. The nine-ton scaffolding he was working on was hauled to a Caltrans yard where a consulting firm is analyzing it, said OSHA spokesman Dean Fryer.

The agency can levy fines if it finds wrongdoing. It plans to interview workers and review safety procedures before issuing a report within six months,